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Puma win allows Ireland a unique chance Ultimately it
could lead to a mathematical nightmare but Argentina’s surprise
17-12 opening victory over France has left Ireland’s destiny more
firmly in their own hands.
Eddie O’Sullivan’s men have the unique opportunity of dumping
the hosts out of a World Cup by game three and setting up a clash with
Argentina to avoid a quarter-final against the All Blacks.
Should the reverse happen in the Stade de France on September 21 calculators
will be requir-ed before the now even deadlier pool of death is decided.
It’s hard to imagine the same error-ridden French side that became
only the second host nation to lose an opening encounter turning up to
face both Ireland and their destiny.
But despite coach Bernard Laporte defiantly lamenting his side simply
“couldn’t cope with the pressure”, the expectation will
have notched up even further when their lives are on the line Friday week.
If France’s performance gave Eddie O’Sullivan’s men
cautious cause for optimism, Argentina demonstrated their precise danger
in every minute of the finest 80 in their history.
They took their chances ruthlessly, worked relentlessly and defended so
immensely that their tackle count almost doubled that of France at 110
to 60.
While the hosts selected conservatively the South Americans went for the
jugular with the brilliant Juan Martin Hernandez — chosen at No.
10 instead No. 15 — contrasting sharply to his opposite number and
Stade Francais teammate David Skrela.
His replacement at full-back Ignacio Corletto scored the ultimately deciding
try yet how Ireland would have loved the near perfect boot of the dropped
Federico Todeschini to have been on duty in the last quarter.
The two penalties missed by Leinster’s otherwise flawless Felipe
Contepomi gave France one glimmer of hope — a bonus point in losing
by a seven-point margin or less.
Should Pool D be completed according to original form it’s an extra
point that could make calculations horribly simple. |
